REJECTION OR

Shifting Away From Negativity In College Admissions

AMID THE CHAOTIC MESS of college decisions that are released each spring, many students find themselves dreading the inevitable: receiving a college rejection.

Over the past 19 years, a student-initiated wall, displaying an array of rejection letters, originally named the Wall of Rejection, has become a sporadic tradition at

Palo Alto High School.

“College rejection doesn’t feel good, especially that it’s likely you’ll know someone who got in,” senior Charlie Merkel said. “The Wall of Rejection provides support in the midst of a disappointing decision.”

On Feb. 7, Principal Brent Kline announced that the Wall of Rejection would be renamed as the Wall of Redirection, following a meeting with the Associated Student Body. Kline said the administration hopes the renaming will help shift away from the negativity associated with “rejection.”

“To me, rejection had a negative connotation that I didn’t think would be appropriate,” Kline said. “That’s why we gravitated towards this rebranding of the wall.”

While the Wall of Redirection may simply be a new name, the wall’s message of embracing col-